Gochujang Chickpea Lettuce Wraps

Sweet and spicy gochujang chickpea lettuce wraps combine super flavorful gochujang chickpeas and veggies in crisp, refreshing lettuce wraps. A perfect quick lunch! (nut-free with gluten-free and soy-free options)

These gochujang chickpea wraps are super flavorful and so versatile! You can use other beans, like lentils or white beans, if you prefer. You can also serve as lettuce wraps, tacos, or in a bowl. Serve as-is or with toppings or sauces of choice!

Gochujang is a savory, spicy, and pungent fermented Korean condiment made from red chili, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, and salt. Depending on the brand you have, it can vary in heat.

It can be a pure, concentrated gochujang paste or mixed with ingredients to make sauce which is not as hot. Gochujang can be used to make glazes and sauces that make the meal very flavorful and appetizing. 

Gochujang usually contains gluten and soy, but you can find gluten-free gochujang in some stores. Or, use my recipe for a homemade gluten-free and soy-free gochujang alternative. That recipe is in the recipe card below.

I used gochujang paste with garlic, sesame oil and a bit of sweet to make a sauce to simmer the chickpeas until they picked up the flavor. Add veggies of choice, and serve in wraps, lettuce leaf wraps, tacos or over rice or cooked grains. Or, make a bibimbap bowl with the gochujang chickpeas, rice, kimchi, some roasted veggies, sprouts, and more gochujang.

Make these simple gochujang chickpeas to try out this sauce! 

Why You’ll Love Gochujang Chickpea Lettuce Wraps

• super easy, 1-pan, 30-minute lunch or dinner
• versatile! Serve as lettuce wraps, tacos, rice bowls, or however you like.
• spicy-sweet chickpeas in light, crisp lettuce wraps are a flavor and texture explosion!
• naturally nut-free with gluten-free and soy-free options

Ingredients

• oil – To sauté. You can broth fry for oil-free.
• aromatics – Garlic, onion, bell pepper, and celery add so much flavor to the chickpeas!
• chickpeas – You can use lentils or other beans, like white beans, if you prefer. Canned or homemade is fine to use.
• sauces – You will need gochujang, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil for the chickpea sauce. For gluten-free, use gluten-free gochujang and tamari instead of soy sauce. For soy-free, use my homemade gochujang alternative recipe and coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
• sugar – A little sweet complements the gochujang so well! You can use an equivalent amount of your sweetener of choice, if you prefer.
• cornstarch – To thicken the sauce.
• lettuce – For the wraps! Or, serve these as tacos, regular wraps, over rice, or however you like.
• toppings – Top your chickpea lettuce wraps with chopped green onion and sesame seeds. You can add other crunchy veggies on top, too, if you like. If your gochujang chickpeas are too spicy for your taste, contrast it with a creamy dressing like ranch or garlic sauce.

How to Make Gochujang Chickpea Wraps

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, bell pepper, celery, and a good pinch of salt and cook for a minute. (Sauté in broth for oil-free.)

Add the gochujang, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar. Mix well, then stir in the water-cornstarch mixture and the chickpes.

Cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens a bit. Taste and adjust salt, spice and sweet. Add salt to taste, if the chickpeas were not salted. At this point, you can add in chopped veggies like broccoli, celery, carrots or other crunchy veggies, if you like. Add paprika or cayenne to preference and mix in (optional and not needed if using hot gochujang paste). 

Spoon the gochujang chickpeas into the lettuce leaves, and top with your toppings of choice, like green onion, sesame seeds, and any crunchy veggies you like. If the chickpeas are too spicy, serve with creamy dressing such as vegan ranch or creamy garlic sauce.

What to Serve with Gochujang Chickpea Wraps

Serve these on their own or with side dishes like kachumber salad, rice or quinoa, or sweet potato fries.